Burning Flames
by SoulSpirit9440
Summary: It's a new beginning for the Vongola Family! The couples' kids are here to raise hell in the Mafia world ! With the new generation rising, so are the stakes. Murders and betrayals have been committed, and there's much tension in the Mafia world. With a black rose and a past memory, how will the pieces of the puzzle fall together?
1. Prologue

**Hello everybody! I seriously have been in writer's block for my other stories, so I decided to see if I can write a new one! I have been hooked on Katekyo Hitman REBORN! lately, so I wanted to write a fanfiction for them. It's all about the adventures their kids take in! Couples are: 5986, 2795, 1896, and maybe others along the way! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! in any way. All rights go to Amano Akira. **

**So without further ado, here is the story! I hope you like it! :)**

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><p>"It's been a while, hasn't it?"<p>

"Stop being so emotional."

"But it's true."

There was a party going on in the Vongola mansion. After a couple of years had passed, several new lives were being introduced. Greetings and reunions were being made, and tears and smiles were shown.

"Really, Hayato," Haru rolled her eyes at her husband. She was holding their three year old daughter, Mayu, in her arms. Their ten year old twins were standing beside her, peeking out from behind her dress. All three children had their father's silver hair, but while Yukine and Yukino had their father's emerald-green eyes, Mayu had their mother's coffee-brown eyes. "Stop being such a jerk to Yamamoto."

It was a miracle they were finally married. Probably because they were both equally stubborn, and would always argue to deny the fact they loved each other. They still argued, and their children had learned what to do when they have a long argument. The three kids would go make popcorn, put it into a big bowl, and settle down on the couch as they watch their parents argue. To them, it was the daily routine of an entertaining show.

"Che," the 10th Storm Guardian clicked his tongue at his wife, before turning back to the baseball idiot in front of him. "I'm not sorry."

Yamamoto laughed, used to these kind of things by now. He ushered his children from behind him. One was four year old Kazuto, and the other was ten year old Aoi. Both of the boys were the smaller version of their father.

* * *

><p>"Why are you hiding?" Yukine peered at Aoi, raising an eyebrow.<p>

"Ahaha, why are you hiding?" Aoi laughed.

"I'm not hiding! I'm observing the area," Yukine glared at the boy in front of him.

"Like anybody's going to believe that, big bro," Yukino rolled her eyes.

"Ever heard of closing your mouth, dear sister?"

"Ever heard of the word 'no', dear brother?"

The twins glared at each other, and one can literally see the lightning shooting from their eyes. Aoi continued to laugh at their "good" relationship. Finally, the twins got tired of the laughter and pretty much tackled the boy.

* * *

><p>"EXTREME!" A shout was heard beyond the door of the room the party was supposed to be in. Not everybody had come yet, so they were waiting.<p>

Gokudera inwardly groaned out loud at the voice, and Yamamoto laughed like he always does.

The floor flew open, and the 10th Sun Guardian stormed in. "HOW ARE YOU GUYS TO THE EXTREME!"

"Stop shouting, Ryohei!" Hana was standing beside him, sighing at the noise her husband was making. Their eleven year old daughter, Sayuri, and their six year old son, Shintaro, were laughing at their father's shouts.

"Stop shouting, lawn head! DID YOU EVEN GROW UP AT ALL?!" Gokudera shouted, glaring at the white-haired man.

"What are you talking about, Octopus-Head? Of course I've grown! TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei shouted back, pumping his fists into the air.

"No, no he didn't," the others shook their heads, looking as if they pitied his simple mind.

"Keep making this ruckus and I'll bite you to death," a menacing aura came from behind them, and the three Guardians turned to look towards the door. An extremely irritated Hibari was standing there, along with Chrome and their children, and he didn't come to have a tea party.

"Kyoya," Chrome patted his arm, and his irritation only went down a little. Their ten year old daughter Shiori was standing with their eleven year old son Tatsuya.

"Chrome!" Haru gave Mayu to Gokudera, quickly running up to the purple-haired woman. The two hugged, and a small smile came to Chrome's face.

"How have you been?" Haru asked, a smile on her lips.

"I've been doing well," Chrome nodded, her soft voice was always enough to relax anybody. It was probably the reason she got along with Hibari of all people in the first place.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Haru's questions came out in a bundle. It took her a long time to accept the fact that her timid friend was married to the strongest and scariest Guardian of the 10th Vongola Family.

"Your wife is rude," Hibari stated bluntly to Gokudera.

"Che. I don't need you to tell me that," Gokudera set down Mayu so she could play with the other kids. "That woman's been rude to me for years." When Haru had heard this, she immediately glared at her husband. He returned her glare with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"Our parents are really something," Tatsuya mused.<p>

Sayuri laughed. "Really? I feel like they never became adults at all!"

"Shame, I had thought it would be all professional and mafia-like," Shiori shook her head in disappointment.

"..Why are we insulting your parents, again?" Tatsuya questioned.

"Because parents need kids to insult them to damage their egos," Mayu spoke up, and the older kids looked at the three year old in surprise. Mind you, Mayu is a very intelligent three year old.

"Ahahaha! I guess that's true!" Aoi laughed. "Your little sister's funny, Yukine!"

"Che. Of course she is," Yukine rolled his eyes, before ruffling his youngest sister's hair.

"Stop damaging my work on her hair, Yukine!" Yukino slapped her older twin brother's hand away.

"Will you stop hitting me!"

"You know, I feel bad for Mayu. She has to put up with two pairs of arguing people," Sayuri mused as she watched the twins argue once more.

"I don't particularly mind it," Mayu shrugged, sighing at how childish her older siblings were. "Because that's just who they are."

"Hey, hey! Have you guys heard of the stories about our parents' adventures?" Shintaro said excitedly. "I liked them to the EXTREME!"

"Ahaha! You're just like your dad!" Kazuto laughed out loud. 

* * *

><p>"Kufufu. I can see none of you people have changed at all," a mist surrounded the area, as the laugh was being heard. Several moments later, Mukuro stood standing at the doorway. He had a smug grin on his face, as usual.<p>

"Mukuro-sama!" Chrome beamed with delight.

"Kufufu. How has the skylark been treating you, my dear Nagi?"

"Why do all of you herbivores think that? I'll bite you to death," Hibari glared at his arch-rival. His hand inched towards his tonfas.

"His head is a pineapple," Shiori stated out bluntly.

Mukuro flinched at the phrase. Chrome paled, "Shiori! Apologize!"

"But mom! His hair is seriously a pineapple! He could have passed off as a fruit!" Shiori protested, now pointing. Hibari was feeling quite proud of his daughter at this moment.

Mukuro regained his posture, looking a bit shaken at the moment. Was that little girl really his darling Nagi's child? No, wait. The little girl was definitely the skylark's child. The bastard was standing next to his daughter as he smirked victoriously.

He closed his eyes for a moment, before a smirk came into place. "Kufufu. So the skylark needed his own daughter to put out the insults now? Perhaps he's gotten weak."

The tonfas were out, and there was an aura surrounding Hibari so dangerous that it made the kids and even the adults inch away slowly. If there was anything Hibari disliked, it was being called weak. And they all seem to know, and understand that quite well.

"You guys sure like starting the party quickly," Lambo walked into the room, yawning a bit. He flinched when he saw the menacing aura of Hibari and Mukuro; their weapons in hand.

He slowly backed away, going off to another section of the room. That was what the others had done as they let the two Guardians fight. At the moment, they were feeling pretty bad for the repair people who had to fix the mansion afterwards.

I-pin came in moments after Lambo, holding the hand of their five year old son, Notto. I-pin had gotten pregnant pretty early since the two had married after graduating college. With the extra lessons, they graduated pretty early.

"Why are they in bad terms, mom?" Tatsuya turned to his mother, who was watching the fight.

Chrome sighed, turning to look at her oldest child. "Mukuro-sama was the first person to defeat Kyoya. You know how your dad feels about the concept of, ah, losing."

Tatsuya nodded, knowing full well. Then again, his sister hated losing as much as their father did. Even he hated it at times. And their mother would always be the one to settle things down.

* * *

><p>"So? Where's the Tenth?" Gokudera looked around.<p>

Haru came up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Kyoko told me they had to pick up some things before coming here, so they'll be a little late."

Yamamoto grinned. "That's just like Tsuna. Always late."

"Don't insult the Tenth, you baseball idiot!" Gokudera frowned. While he did snap out in a while and shout, he's learned to control his temper from time to time. Bianchi had commented how he's changed over the years due to love, and he had scoffed at that.

"Hayato, it's good to see you again." Speak of the devil. Bianchi entered the room, a smile plastered on her lips.

As soon as the silveret saw his older sister, he immediately felt sick to his stomach. "A-Aniki..!" He collapsed on the floor, and Yamamoto laughed as he carried his "best friend" to the couch.

Haru sighed as she watched her husband in his pathetic state. Really. One would have thought he would have overcome his trauma after so many years. But being the loving wife she was, she went over to his side and smoothed his silver hair out of his eyes.

"Auntie!" The three Gokudera kids ran up to their aunt, hugging her waist.

The pink-haired woman smiled in delight, picking up Mayu. "How has my favorite nieces and nephew been?"

"We're your _only_ nieces and nephew," Mayu giggled. Bianchi laughed at that.

* * *

><p>"Ooh, is the party already under way?" Dino grinned as he walked into the room, his kids behind him. One was fifteen year old Satoshi and the other was thirteen year old Ayami.<p>

"Huh. I didn't expect _you_ of all people to have kids," Hibari stated bluntly. He and Mukuro had called off a temporary truce after Chrome had gotten in the way of their battle.

Dino looked as if he had been stabbed. "Don't be so mean, Kyoya!" He grinned at his former student. "Have you been treating Chrome like a lady?"

Hibari snapped quickly this time, his tonfas out. "I'll bite you to death."

"W-Wait a second Kyoya! Now isn't the time to fight! C-Come on, we're here to have a friendly party, right?" Dino took a step back, and slipped on his own shoe. He fell on his face, and the others just laughed at the scene.

"Dad…" His children just sweat-drop, before going to help him. They, too, slipped on their shoes and fell on top of their father. God forbids them from inheriting their mother's good graces.

Hibari was questioning himself how this person ever became his tutor in the first place. He then decided to ignore him, and went back to his family.

* * *

><p>"AH! Why is the mansion destroyed?!" A shout was heard from the door, and they turned to see who it was. There, standing at the door with his wife and daughters was the 10th Boss of the Vongola Family. After much hesitation, Tsuna had finally accepted his role as the 10th boss. You could pretty much guess how wild the party was when he had said 'yes'. Seriously, everybody was waiting for the moment to happen.<p>

Kyoko giggled at her husband's shout and look of panic. While he had matured over the years, there were times when he would slip back to who he was in the past. She smiled down at their ten year old daughter Valentine, and their three year old twin girls, Mana and Ai. A brief sad smile came to her face as she looked at her children, before it quickly disappeared. There was no need to think about the past.

"Kyoko!" Haru smiled when she saw her best friend. The two cake lovers jumped up and down together, laughing. Chrome joined them, and the threesome talked about their lives and of course, cakes.

"Tenth!" Gokudera recovered quickly upon seeing his boss, and since Bianchi had put on some goggles, he wouldn't faint anymore.

"Yo Tsuna!" Yamamoto laughed as he went up to the two of them. "Been doing well?"

"Yeah," Tsuna smiled when he saw his friends. The Family had been split up due to, ah, some issues, but they kept contact over the years. He quickly remembered why he had shouted. "Why is the mansion damaged?"

"I'm sorry Tenth, but the crazy bastards decided to have World War III before you came," Gokudera informed him.

"A-Ah, Hibari and Mukuro again?" Tsuna sighed. "I really wish they would learn to get along."

Yamamoto laughed. "That's pretty much impossible considering it's those two!"

"They're selfish bastards with egos too big for their own good," Gokudera rolled his eyes.

"Dame-Tsuna, you're blocking the doorway!" Tsuna was kicked on to the floor as the hitman wearing a black suit and fedora strolled in.

"Ack! Tenth!" Gokudera checked to see if his boss was okay.

"R-Reborn!" Tsuna got up, after rubbing his sore back from the impact of the kick. "What kind of greeting was that?!"

Reborn smirked, and Tsuna quickly kept his mouth shut. That smirk was nothing but trouble. "I should get to kick you nine more times since it's been ten years since I last saw you."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

* * *

><p>"Wow! You like cakes too?" Yukino smiled widely at Valentine.<p>

The light-brown haired girl smiled softly. "You know about the new cake shop that opened downtown?"

"Yes! But I haven't gone there yet," Yukino confessed.

"Then we shall go together," Valentine suggested. The other girl nodded, and the two continued to chat, looking much like their mothers back then.

* * *

><p>"You guys are twins? You look a lot alike," Kazuto grinned, looking at the twin girls in front of him.<p>

"I'm Mana!" The twin with the longer hair introduced herself. "This is Ai." She gestured to her sister, who was hiding behind her.

Ai shyly looked at the people around them. "H-Hello."

Mayu smiled. "Not to worry, we don't bite."

Notto laughed goofily. "Hey, you guys are like opposites!"

Mana grinned. "We get told that often." Ai nodded in agreement. While Ai had inherited their father's lack of confidence, Mana had inherited their mother's carefree attitude.

* * *

><p>"So many people," Satoshi grinned as he looked around.<p>

Ayami laughed. "You see, Onii-sama, there were going to be a lot of people! It's a party after all!"

"We're going to party to the EXTREME!" Both Ryohei and his son Shintaro shouted at the same time. Hana and Shiori could only smile at the boys.

The party lasted well into the night. After years of not seeing each other, they were determined to make the reunion a time to remember. Ever since that incident ten years ago, things had been complicated. But now they had decided that it was time to forget the past and move on. Thus leading to a couple of drunken people and shouting and fighting breaking out from everywhere. The shouts and hoots of chatter was heard loud and clear. It was lucky the mansion was located in the forest, or else they would have disturbed numerous neighbors.

* * *

><p>"Tsuna." Reborn came up to the 10th boss as he stood on the balcony, over looking into the night sky.<p>

Tsuna had come away from the lively party for several moments, feeling as if he needed a break. He turned to face his former tutor. "Reborn."

"You know how things are going to be from now on," Reborn informed him, his fedora shadowing his eyes.

Tsuna clenched his fist, before he let it relax. "Yes. I just don't want anything to happen like ten years ago."

"Then you will protect her. Protect her from the truth," Reborn stated seriously.

"Yeah…"

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><p><strong>Whew! When I first wanted to write this prologue, I did not expect it to be this long! Anyways, I hope you like the little reunion. Next chapter is a time-skip, so watch out! Review! :) <strong>


	2. The Same

**Hiya everybody! I am back! Yes, yes. You can never get rid of me that easily! Anyways, here's the next chapter! As I have mentioned before in the last chapter, there's a time skip in this one. Did you really think I was going to let a bunch of little kids fight in the Mafia? I'm not that heartless! **

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Enjoy! :)**

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><p><em>Five years later….<em>

* * *

><p>"AHHH! I'M LATE!"<p>

A sudden thud was heard in the Vongola mansion early in the morning, disrupting its residents. Since the reunion, the Guardians had decided to live in the mansion as a way to further avoid enemies attacking. Well, except for Hibari with his family and Mukuro.

Sawada Valentine tumbled down the elegant staircase, saying a quick 'hello' to the portrait of Primo. Her short; the tips just above her shoulders, light brown-orange hair was set in place and her honey-colored eyes were in a panic. A golden necklace with the charm in the shape of a crystal hung around her neck, shining brightly with Sky Dying Will Flames.

Honestly, Valentine (Val for short), could never remember a time where she didn't have the necklace. It was given to her at birth, and her parents had always reminded her to keep it with her at all times. Especially her father.

Dismissing the thoughts, Val hurried down the stairs. She entered the kitchen, seeing how the dining room was already empty. Grabbing a piece of toast after waving the cooks good-bye, she hurried out the door.

Darn those twins for going off without her. And Aoi didn't bother to stay behind either! They live in the same place, the three could at least waited for her.

Then again, if she hadn't stayed up late reading the large book Uncle Reborn had told her to study, she wouldn't have been late…

Finally, she spotted them on the usual path they took to school. She ran up to them, panting and almost out of breath. "Do you people know of the concept of 'waiting'?"

"It's your fault you wouldn't wake up," Yukine informed her, rolling his eyes. He ran a hand through his chin-length silver hair, his emerald-green eyes brimming with amusement.

"You didn't even bother trying, bastard!" Yukino smacked her brother's arm, her emerald-green eyes glaring at him. Her silver hair was tied in small ribbons by the side of her face, with the back cut shorter than the front.

"Why are women in our family so violent?" Yukine groaned, rubbing his sore arm.

"Our baby sister is innocent, mind you!" Yukino smacked his arm again, and he glared at her.

Aoi laughed at the everyday scene. He turned back to Val. "Sorry about that, Val. An underclassmen told me about the baseball team, so I forgot."

"Baseball freak," the twins muttered under their breaths.

"Don't be rude," Valentine scolded them.

"As you say, boss," Yukino smirked.

Val narrowed her eyes at that, sighing. "I told you. I won't be the boss anytime soon, so there is no need to start calling me that."

"Then, you'll be _Sleeping Beauty!_" Yukino grinned mischievously. "Because you are the innocent princess who will awake when the reality comes to you."

"Somehow, that sounded really depressing," Yukine muttered. "We should call her '_Heartbreaker_', since she broke a lot of guys' hearts."

"No way!" Val pouted. "It's not my fault!"

"Then, _'Love Princess'_ since your name is '_Valentine_'," Yukino suggested.

"Isn't that long?" Yukine raised an eyebrow.

"Stop thinking of weird names for me!"

The twins laughed as their childhood friend kept protesting, denying anything the twins had decided to call her. Well, she was out of luck since these twins don't listen to anybody.

"Hey, we might as well get into habit of it," Aoi shrugged. He grinned, and ruffled the girl's hair. "Because you'll be the boss soon, right?"

"Che. Of course she is. I don't think she's going to let her younger sisters take the title," Yukine pointed out.

"Don't you put my baby sisters into this!" Val frowned at him. Her twin sisters were much too innocent for this world of the Mafia, and she didn't think they can do such a task. Well, perhaps Mana could… No, no. She would not have any of her sisters involved in such a dangerous thing.

There was a distant ring of the bell, and the four students quickly rush towards the school building. Valentine was inwardly groaning to herself as she ran. If she got another tardy, Uncle Reborn was going to punish her again. They got to the school in the nick of time, dashing to their seats just as the teacher came in.

* * *

><p>Val tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, really she did. But her mind couldn't help but wonder to the mist of looking at the sakura outside in the school yard. It was strange, really. Seeing sakura in Italy, but she had heard they were shipped from Japan.<p>

The beautiful petals flew in the air, waving their pink hue to the blue sky. The sakura trees were swaying in the breeze, softly waving their branches to the birds that flew by. A smile came to the girl's face as she smiled softy at the peaceful atmosphere.

It was quite nice, actually. To simply relax and let fate run its wheels. The only thing that tied her down to the harsh reality was the fact that she had been training to be the 11th boss of the Vongola Famiglia; the strongest and biggest Family in the Mafia world.

Uncle Reborn was her main tutor, but she had trained with every single one of her father's Guardians at least once. Living the double life as a normal girl and the successor to the Vongola Family was exhausting, but she didn't mind. Even though her father had panicked when she had wanted to start her training early, she was glad she did. There were way too many boys looking at her in the wrong way…

A sudden flicker of light rays got into her eyes, and she saw something on top of one of the sakura trees. She narrowed her eyes, checking to see if she was seeing it right.

There, on top of the sakura tree, was a person. A girl, in fact. She was about the age as Valentine. She had long, brown hair which was following in the breeze. Her eyes were honey-colored, and her face was emotionless.

What surprised Valentine was the fact that the girl moved. Her eyes met Val's, and the two stared a brief eye contact. Valentine's mouth went dry, and she paled. _This girl…_

The girl placed a finger to her lips, saying something. But the sudden gust of the wind drowned out her words. A beautiful curve of the lips was on the girl's face, and when Val blinked, the girl was gone. Valentine rubbed her eyes, looking again. But the girl was gone. Simply vanished into thin air.

Valentine swallowed hard, the image of the girl going reflecting in her memory. A million emotions ran through her; confusion, terror, curiosity…

_The girl…had the exact same _face_ as her… _

* * *

><p>"Val? Something wrong?" Yukino glanced worryingly at her best friend, who was quietly eating her food.<p>

"Hey Sleeping Beauty! Wake up!" Yukine waved a hand in front of Val's face.

The four were having lunch together on the rooftop, as usual. The rooftop became their place since they've entered the school. Occasionally, the older kids (Sayuri, Tatsuya and Shiori) would come during their breaks, but since they were in different grades, it was hard to hang out during school hours. The younger kids were in a different school, not too far from their school.

"H-Huh?" Valentine snapped out of her daze, looking up to see the worried faces of her childhood friends. "N-Nothing. Just a little tired from training." It wasn't a lie, she was tied from Uncle Reborn's training the night before.

"Are you okay? I mean, we've been training too but I think you're overdoing it," Aoi said worryingly.

"I'm fine," Val insisted, "really, I am." She didn't want to worry them anymore than she already had. Besides, maybe it had just been her imagination playing tricks on her. There was no way there was someone who had the exact face as her…no way…

"Well, I hope you're not forgetting our test after this," Yukine piped up, eating a riceball.

Val paled slightly, gulping. "T-Test?"

"Ahaha! You didn't study, did you, Val?" Aoi laughed, falling back.

"That's because Uncle Reborn made me read that big book," Valentine pouted.

"Well, I can tutor you before the test then," Yukino shrugged, and Val looked at her as if she was a goddess from the moon.

"Don't bother," Yukine rolled his eyes, "my grades are better than yours."

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU SELF-CONFIDENT BASTARD?!" Yukino yelled at her twin brother, causing him to glare at her.

Val sweat-dropped as the two bickered with one another. Really! They shouldn't argue so much. And Aoi's laughing wasn't solving the problem either…

* * *

><p>Val walked down the pathway, alone. Aoi had baseball practice, and the twins were forced to stay after school to teach some students that were having a hard time studying. Considering how the two were geniuses (considering their parents were the "Genius Couple"), it was no wonder the teachers had recommended them.<p>

The light-brown haired girl looked up towards the sky, her arm reaching up, as if her fingers wanted to brush against the vivid blue sky. But it was simply not to be.

Her arm dropped to her side, and with a sigh, she began to walk again.

Suddenly, she stopped. There was a sickening feeling in her mind, and she might have been over-reacting due to her hyper intuition, but the feeling was... She turned around, surveying the area. There was nobody in sight aside from several locals in the small park she was passing. So why did she feel so uneasy?

Frowning slightly, she cast her eyes away from the park. Maybe she was going crazy today. There was that weird girl, and now this. She placed a hand on her head, feeling a headache coming on. Great.

An odor soon found itself being caught by the girl's nose, and her face slowly lose its color. She knew this odor. Her feet ran.

She ran, following the scent like a police dog following the scent of a criminal. She rounded the corner, and stepped into the alleyway. What she saw made her sick to her stomach. Her hand quickly flew to cover her mouth, and she willed herself not to scream.

There, in the middle of the alleyway, was a body. There was ruby-red blood spattered everywhere, and the blood was pouring from the dead corpse. The smell was revolting, but it smelled fresh. Which meant that the kill was made not too long ago. The body looked like a man's, and she could tell he was pretty young. He had been wearing a black suit, which was now stained with blood.

What surprised her the most was the elegant rose that was on top of his chest. The rose…was the color black. It had thorns, and looked beautiful compared to where it was resting.

Val unconsciously took a step back, biting her lip as to stop herself from screaming. Screaming wouldn't do anything. Nothing at all. But she had to let someone know.

The girl was about to turn, just as a presence appeared behind her. Before she could react, the figure smashed something against her head.

_And then, everything went black. _

* * *

><p><strong>And here you have it! Sorry that I was rushing things, but it was necessary for the next chapter. Review! ;)<strong>


	3. Threat

**Hiya everybody! I'm back with a new chapter! I'd like to ask you guys a favor, can ya help me with it? I need some questions from you guys asking about the characters. For example, a question for Val could be: "Why is your name Valentine?" That sort of thing. Just ask any question you like for the characters, and I'll be needing them for a special thing soon. I'm looking forward to the questions you give me~!**

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! All rights go to Amano Akira. **

**Enjoy the story! :)**

* * *

><p><em>"Is she alright?"<em>

_ "Well, she got hit in the head. You tell me."_

_ "Stop joking you idiotic person for a brother!"_

_ "Onee-chan!"_

Valentine's eyes opened slowly, her vision trying to focus on her surroundings. She could see a blur of faces. Many faces, in fact. Why were they all here?

Wait…where was she? With the thought, the girl tried to sit up. But immediately fell back on the bed, the pain shocking her in so many places. What had happened?

She looked around, seeing the worried faces of her Famiglia. She looked down at herself, and saw she was wearing a white gown and was on a hospital bed. What the…?

"…what happened?" Val asked, her voice quiet.

"Members of our Famiglia founded you passed out on the street," Tsuna stepped forward, and Kyoko ran up to hug her eldest daughter tightly. The brown-haired man's face was grim. "We also found a dead corpse not too far away, and a black rose."

Val blinked, the memories slowly coming back to her. She could feel the empty soul in the body covered with blood, and she could still see the beautiful, yet deadly rose. Her face drained of color, and she could only see the color red. Her hands shook, and her mother, seeing this, rubbed her back to calm her down.

"It's okay. It'll be alright, sweetie," Kyoko tried to smile as best as she could for her daughter, but it was hard. When the woman had heard of the attack, and that her daughter was involved, she had immediately left work and came as fast as she could. She could not lose her…not this time…

Valentine started to calm down slowly at her mother's words, and she felt guilty for worrying her parents. Her breathing calmed, and her shoulders relaxed.

"Val, can you tell us what happened?" Reborn spoke as he stood by the door, walking in.

"Reborn! Don't start asking her questions while she's still recovering," Tsuna protested.

Reborn looked at his former student, eyes steady. "We need to know what happened in order for this not to happen again." That silenced Tsuna for a bit.

"It's alright, Papa," Val spoke up, her voice was soft. She smiled at her father when he turned to look at her. "I'm alright. A little shaken up, but perfectly fine." She was lying, and they all knew.

I-pin ushered the younger kids out, following them after giving a reassuring smile to Val. The door closed, and only the 10th – Generation Family and the older kids were left.

Val took a deep breath, and started the story. She told them of her walking alone, and how she had gotten a bad feeling. She described the smell, and how she had followed it to the alleyway. How she found the dead body and rose, and how she was knocked out by somebody she didn't see until it was too late.

The light-brown haired girl felt ashamed of herself for not being able to do anything. She was still weak, huh?

"You were panicking, of course you wouldn't be able to protect yourself," Tsuna reassured her.

"She'll have to train more," Reborn said bluntly. When Tsuna looked at him with a frown, he simply turned to the Vongola's strongest guardian. "Hibari, can you train her next?"

"Fine, infant," Hibari closed his eyes briefly, before his steel-grey eyes fix on Val's. "Can you stand, herbivore?"

Before Val could say anything, Kyoko stood up. "She can't train yet! She's still recovering!"

"This is the world of the Mafia, Kyoko," Reborn reminded her. "There will only be more danger if she remains in this state."

"Reborn! I know the Mafia is dangerous, but this is still too sudden! She just woke up for the first time in three days for god's sake!" Tsuna shouted.

"T-Three days…?" Val's mouth dropped open. Really? She had been out for _that_ long?

"Tenth, calm down," Gokudera spoke up. When his boss looked at him, the silver-haired man nodded as if he understood. "We'll have Yukine and Yukino helping her with the training, and she can start after she rest for a few days." His twins nodded.

"That's right," Yamamoto grinned. "I think Hibari can wait, right?" He turned to the Cloud Guardian, who simply nodded.

"W-Well, that's better I suppose," Tsuna muttered.

"Sawada! Don't worry about a thing! We'll _EXTREMELY_ protect my cute niece!" Ryohei nodded to himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Bossu, I'll be there in the training room too," Chrome volunteered. Tsuna sighed with relief a bit at that.

"If Chrome's there, I think I feel better," Kyoko smiled.

"Any more people and I'll bite you to death," Hibari threaten low under his breath. Tsuna blinked, and nodded slowly.

"Kufufu. We must find the culprit soon," Mukuro looked amused. "He has hurt the little Princess."

"Val, I don't think you need to worry about revenge," Haru laughed a bit. "All of them seem pretty blood-thirsty right now."

"I'm not blood-thirsty," Lambo muttered. "But I am angry."

"U-Um," Val raised a hand, as if asking to question something in class. All of the people in the room turned to look at her. "Can you tell me more on the murder?"

There was a tension around the adults in the room, as if unsure if they should say anything. After a moment, Reborn told everybody to go out aside from him and Tsuna. The door closed behind them, and Val looked at her father.

"I-I didn't want to tell you this soon, but it had already happened to you," Tsuna sat on a chair beside his daughter.

"Lately, there's been murders committed," Reborn went straight to the point, blunt as always. "We haven't seen any particular patterns to them, aside from the fact that the culprit attacks Mafia-related people. They're not just in our Famiglia; they're actually everybody from the Mafia. We don't know what the culprit has against the Mafia, and Mukuro isn't the one behind it."

"Why would Uncle Mukuro be behind this?" Val tilted her head in confusion.

Tsuna sweat-dropped. "When we were younger, he said he wanted to take over the Mafia and the world. Nowadays…well, he hasn't changed his goal, but he's not as strong about it as before."

Val's mouth dropped open. She had _not_ heard this. Before she could say anything, Reborn continued. "We don't know what they're after, but right now, the Vongola are trying to find out what's going on."

"We're protecting anybody relating to the Mafia that isn't a part of the Mafia too," Tsuna added, his eyes serious. "The only thing we know about the culprit, or culprits, is that they leave a black rose near every one of their victims. We have many of those black roses, and our science team is currently analyzing them. So far, it just seems that they're a special breed of roses that will only grow under certain conditions. We haven't found a place where they could grow yet."

Val nodded slowly, remembering how the image of the beautiful black rose amiss the red blood stood out.

"We don't know what the culprit looks like either," Reborn stated. "There were no witnesses at the scene of the crime. For now, the Mafia world is calling them the 'Black Roses'. Well, it doesn't matter what they're called."

"We're doing our best to figure out what's going on," Tsuna said, and Val looked at him more closely. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his posture was slightly lacking. She bit her lip, knowing how such a situation meant a lot to her father.

Since Tsuna became the boss, the Vongola had gradually drifted back to its original path; Primo's path. He's been ensuring the safety of his comrades, and once again, the Vongola became a model organization for the rest of the Mafia world. But because they were changing it so much, the Guardians and Tsuna had to put more time into their work. Val knew her mother and her Aunties disliked that, but they never complained. Some would say the strength of the women in the Vongola Famiglia were truly honorable amongst the females.

Val rested a hand on her father's hand, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's going to be alright, Papa. I know you're going to do it."

Tsuna smiled at his eldest daughter, pulling her into a hug. "Just be safe, Val."

She nodded, but a feeling inside of her knew that she wouldn't be safe for long. Maybe it was because the uneasy feeling in her stomach was coming back, or she was still haunted by the memory of the girl in the sakura tree. Nevertheless, she didn't want her father to worry so she agreed.

"This is a threat to the Mafia, so it's serious business," Reborn said, after giving them a moment. "We'll have to increase your training, Dame-Princess."

"I understand, Uncle Reborn," Val smiled softly. Truthfully, she wanted extra training. After what had happened, she needed to get stronger. Stronger to protect herself, and stronger to protect the others. She will not make the same mistake again.

As if sensing the girl's resolve, her father smiled, but was still worried. It was getting more and more dangerous, and he didn't want to lose his daughter. Not when he had something he could do to prevent it.

Reborn smirked. "You seem much more reliable than your father when he was your age."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Tsuna glanced annoyingly at his former tutor, a slight pink hue to his cheeks.

Val gigged softly. The two of them were always like this, and from what she heard from her Uncles, they had always been like this. It was a special bond between them, and she could see the two still trusted each other very much.

Still… she wondered what would become of her if she would be in the way of the Black Roses again. She just hopes they won't hurt her Famiglia…

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><p>"How are the preparations going?" A girl, shadowed by the darkness of the room, sat in a tall chair in the room. Her voice was melodic, and the people in the room were standing before her.<p>

"We just killed another person," one of them reported. "Everything is going as planned."

"Excellent!" The girl's lips curved into a smile. "It's been much too long."

The door burst open, and a boy stepped into the room. He had midnight-black hair, and deep blue eyes. A red scarf with gold markings hung around his neck. He had an amused grin as he stared at the girl. "You look happy."

The girl giggled, leaning back in her throne. "Am I?" She looked out the window, a look of wonder in her eyes. "Perhaps it was because I had an interesting encounter lately…"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Did you sneak outside again?"

"I don't feel the need to stay here forever," the girl shrugged. "You could at least let me play around."

"Whatever. Just don't kill anybody," the boy said.

The girl nodded. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say." A playful smile played itself on her lips.

_"I wonder if we can meet again…"_

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><p><strong>And there you have it! Sorry if my chapters are rather short. They're usually longer, but somehow along the way, I end up breaking them into two different chapters so they become short. Anyway, review the questions please! :)<strong>


	4. Doubt

**Hello everybody! I'm here again with a brand new chapter! Remember, I'll really appreciate it if you give me more questions~! Enjoy the story! :)**

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN!**

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><p>"Herbivore, you're too slow," Hibari stated bluntly, easily dodging another attack.<p>

Valentine panted heavily, her feet staggering a bit underneath her. Her Dying Will Flames were blazing brightly, and her black whip was fused with Sky Flames. As always, a Dying Will flame lit at her forehead as she was in Hyper Dying Will mode.

Hibari was silent, before he let out a little sigh. "Why did you choose a weapon like him?"

She knew exactly who he was referring to – Uncle Dino. When she had first decided on her weapon, Leon ate it and shot it back out. It wasn't an ordinary whip, it was a whip that lit up Dying Will Flames when it was used. Dino had been teaching her how to use the whip, and Hibari was annoyed at her choice. Nevertheless, he'd learned to accept it…Sort of.

Val smiled. "Because it just seems right to me, Uncle Hibari. It's like how the tonfas feel right to you."

"Don't compare my weapons to the Bronco's," Hibari warned, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Y-Yes," Val nodded quickly. She heard the twins, who were at the corner of the room practicing combat with Chrome, snickered. She looked at them in annoyance.

The two engaged in combat once more, and Val was quickly observing her opponent's movements. It was a trait she had learned from her father, who told her he had learned it from a tall man wearing a black suit during the Curse of the Rainbow battle. He never did find out who that was, and she wasn't sure why Uncle Reborn was smirking at that.

Her whip lashed out, grabbing hold of Hibari's leg. The black-haired man pulled on his leg, and shot it up. Val shot to the air, and the tonfas hit her sides. Grunting in pain, she back-flipped in the air and the whip hit Hibari's face.

Val's whip wrapped around one of Hibari's tonfas, and she willed the flames to get bigger. Hibari smiled in amusement as he jerked his arm, throwing the girl off balance. She quickly released his tonfa from her whip, and jerked herself to the right when he opened his box weapon.

She could only stare uneasy as a giant spike ball hovered around Hibari, and she gritted her teeth when she saw it was ready to attack. She quickly jumped up, twisting her whip around the animal's mouth before it could shoot. It was expanding, and she was struggling to fight off the flames. With one final tug, she threw it against the wall, making a dent in the cement wall.

She landed on the ground, and could barely defend herself when Hibari attacked. The two exchanged a series of slashes and advances, their flames growing brighter and stronger. They finally broke apart as an explosion happened due to the mass reactions of powerful flames.

Val coughed, keeping one eye open in case he decided to attack again. When the smoke cleared, she saw him put away his box weapon.

"Your training with me is done," Hibari stated. Val looked at him, confused. It wasn't until she saw the slight damage she had made on his tonfas did she understand.

Val smiled, her Dying Will Flames dying away. She bowed slightly. "Thank you for training me." He nodded slightly, placing his tonfas away.

"I don't know if you know this," Yukine started, he and Yukino were coming up to Val while Chrome went to Hibari, "but you should warn someone when you're about to cause an explosion."

Yukino grinned. "Yeah, Sleeping Beauty. You can't just knock us to the floor like that."

Val rubbed her head sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't think it was gonna get that out-of-hand."

The twins looked at each other, then they looked at Val. The light-brown haired girl looked at them in confusion. The twins had a smirk on their faces, and they held up three fingers. "3…2…1…"

_…"OWW!" _

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><p>"Well, we did warn you not to overdo it," Aoi could only grin as he and the others surrounded Val on the couch of the living room. The twins could only snicker.<p>

"Shut up," Val muttered into the pillow. "It's not my fault going into Dying Will Mode takes a toll on my body."

"Val! Stop being so stubborn!" Sayuri walked into the room, raising an eyebrow at the state of her fallen cousin. "Really, what am I going to do with you?" Her wavy white hair was flowing down her back, and her grey-colored eyes fixed on Val.

"Heal me?" Val offered. Sayuri could only laugh as she sat down, using her Sun Flames to heal the girl.

"Did you get beaten up by Dad again?" Shiori entered the room, smirking widely. She had medium length black hair. Her violet-colored eyes looked amused.

"Uncle Hibari never holds back," Val complained, feeling herself get better as the Sun Flames recharged her.

"That's Dad for you," Tatsuya appeared in a mist. He ran a finger through his dark purple hair, his steel-grey eyes settling on Val.

"Onii-sama," Shiori narrowed her eyes at the mist, "could you please stop appearing like that? I swear, Dad will only get annoyed by it."

"Mom is fine with it," Tatsuya rolled his eyes.

"Where are the kids?" Val asked, sitting up. She was better now thanks to Sayuri.

"Playing," Yukino piped up. "They're in the theater room watching a movie. I think the girls are making sure the boys don't eat too much popcorn."

"Especially Notto," Aoi laughed.

"In any case-!" Yukine started, but he was cut off when a storm of little kids came through the door. The younger kids were laughing, some of them were tackling their older siblings.

Kazuto ran up to Aoi, who grinned as he pat his younger brother's black hair. The two of them looked just like their father; jet-black hair and coffee-brown eyes.

Mayu was engulfed in a hug by her elder sister, and her elder brother patted her head. The youngest child of the Gokudera family had her long, silver hair into two braids decorated with tiny flowers. Her chocolate-brown eyes started at them, amused.

Shintaro grinned widely as he tackled his older sister, his grey-colored eyes were shining. Unlike his sister, he sported the dark hair their mother had. Sayuri could only laugh as her little brother talked to her excitedly about the movie.

Notto didn't have an older sibling in the room, but he considered every one of them his "older sibling" since they always took care of him since he was the oldest of the kids, but the youngest out of the teenagers. He had curly black hair, and his sea-green eyes lit up.

Finally, the twins, Mana and Ai, ran up to their older sister. Val smiled at her younger twin sisters, patting each of their heads. While the two girls sported light brown-orange hair like their sister, but brown eyes from their father, one could tell them apart despite their identical faces. This was because Mana had long hair, while Ai had shoulder-length hair. Also, Mana's signature color was pink, while Ai's signature color was blue. Their clothes were still identical, though.

"I thought you said they were watching a movie!" Yukine gave his twin sister a pointed look.

"That's what I saw them doing the last time I checked!" Yukino argued.

"The movie finished," Mayu informed them. "And can you put me down now?" Yukine sighed, putting his youngest sister down. He couldn't help it! She was just too cute.

"Was it good?" Aoi asked, grinning.

Kazuto gave his older brother an identical grin, a gift from their father. "It was great! You should have seen it!"

"It was EXTREMELY awesome!" Shintaro shouted, pumping his fist into the air. Sayuri laughed, smiling.

"Is there any way I could duck-tape his mouth?" Mayu muttered.

"Ahaha!" Kazuto laughed. "You're just like your dad, Mayu!"

"And you're just like your dad, Kazuto."

"E-Everyone, we shouldn't argue," Ai said timidly, her voice soft.

"That's right!" Mana stepped up, smiling cheerfully. "We should all get along!"

"Why are all of you guys here, anyway?" Notto asked, looking around the room.

Val stood up. "Well, I got beaten up and couldn't move so I was like a zombie so…yeah."

"Brilliant explanation," Tatsu said, an amused smile on his face. Val could only roll her eyes at him, huffing.

Val reached for her side, rubbing it. "Crud. We've got school tomorrow and my sides still hurting."

"Moron," Yukine knocked his fist on her head, causing the girl to look at him in annoyance. "Tomorrow's no-school 'cause there's a 'Teacher Work Day'. I think your memories suffered from the knock on your head."

"She was asleep for three days," Sayuri sighed. "Of course she wasn't going to recover right away."

"Onee-chan, are you alright?" Mana and Ai said in unison, their eyes filled with worry.

Val smiled, patting their heads. "I'm alright. Your big sister is strong, don't worry." She reassured them. They still had doubt in their faces, but trusted her enough to not question any further.

Yukino looked as if something was bothering her. She turned to the kids. "Are you guys hungry?" When they all nodded, she smiled. "Then, how about you go get a snack from the kitchen?" They grinned happily, and rushed out of the room.

Val blinked in surprise when Yukino turned to look at her. "What were you talking about with your dad after Uncle Reborn kicked us out?"

Val shifted uneasily, unsure if she should tell them this yet. So that's why Yukino sent the kids away; this was too dangerous for them to know. But did she want to tell them? They've been with her since childhood, and she knew she trusted her life in their hands. But this threat on the entire Mafia world was simply too dangerous.

"It's about the attacks on the Mafia, isn't it?" Shiori's voice broke Val out of her thoughts.

The light-brown haired girl jerked her head up, eyes wide. "How do you know that?"

Shiori crossed her arms over her chest. "I snuck into Dad's office and got hold of several documents."

_'She snuck in without Uncle Hibari knowing?! W-Well, that's his daughter for you,'_ Val thought.

"Actually, we know that too," Yukino raised her hand, and Yukine nodded. When Val looked at them, wondering what the reason for this was, they looked at her blankly. "Our parents were arguing and we heard."

"If all of you know this, then why in the name of mew are you asking me about it?!" Val looked at them, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Sayuri shrugged. "Well, you were out-cold for three days so I didn't want to bother you…"

"And besides," Aoi grinned, "you wouldn't have told us anyway."

"She cares too much," Tatsu sighed. "We can take care of ourselves, you know."

"I know that," Val sighed, sitting back down on the couch. "But that doesn't mean I can't worry." She knew that they were perfectly capable of defending themselves in a dire situation. But she hated seeing them get hurt, and even more so if it was over her. She can only hope they won't be lost in this up-coming war…

"We're always going to be with you, Val-nee!" Notto jumped into the girl's arms, and they all looked at him in shock.

"Notto! Why are you here?" Val's mouth fell open in a perfect 'O'. "I thought you left with the others! Wait…don't tell me you heard everything we said?!"

"I'm sorry?" Notto blinked.

Val could only sigh. She didn't want any of them get involved, much less the kids. Notto was still young. She patted his head. "No, no need to say that. Just…don't think too much about it, okay?"

Notto nodded after a moment's pause, as if he wanted to argue. But he decided to trust her, and Val was grateful for that.

"They would have found out either way sooner or later," Shiori shrugged. "Little kids get anxious when they sense tension with the people around them."

"I suppose you're right," Val shrugged. "I just don't want them to experience such a reality at a young age."

"All of us don't," Yukino said gently. "But we have to be strong for their sakes."

"I should hope so…" Val muttered, but they could all hear the doubt in her voice. _It was getting dangerous. _

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><p><strong>And there you have it! Review! ;)<strong>


	5. The Meeting

**Sorry for posting so late! The stupid Fanfiction website wouldn't let me log in! Here's the new chapter~! **

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Enjoy the story! :)**

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><p>"Eh? You want me to meet our alliance Families?" Val blinked in surprise, looking at her father who was seated at his chair in his office. She had been called in early the following morning after her training with Uncle Hibari. "But Papa, is something going on? You would never tell me something on such short notice."<p>

Tsuna shifted in his seat a little, silent for a moment. Then he spoke, "Reborn thinks it would be a good idea for our alliance Families to meet you other than Dino-san."

"Why so sudden?" Val raised an eyebrow.

"Because whether you like it or not, you will be the 11th boss," Reborn entered the room, looking as cool and calm as ever. "And they will have to welcome you as the next boss."

Val sometimes wonder what he was like when he was still an Arcobaleno. From the stories she'd heard, Reborn had liked wearing weird and crazy disguises. He was also cute according to her mother and Auntie Haru. Her father told her he was still merciless during training – she can understand that fact well.

"It's just a greeting," Tsuna assured her. "It won't be anything big."

"It's the meeting of the bosses from the alliance families, of course it's going to be big," Reborn stated bluntly. Yep. Merciless.

"Reborn!" Tsuna sighed at the bluntness of his former tutor. But he looked at Reborn seriously after a moment. "How has her training been coming along?"

"She collapses like a zombie after exiting Hyper Dying Will mode," Reborn smirked, looking amused.

Val flushed, a pink hue to her cheeks. "Sorry, Papa. I think I still need training."

Tsuna paused, as if thinking of something. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. We'll see to this later. But for now, just relax, okay Val?"

Val nodded slowly, still unsure about meeting so many powerful people, but she knew this had to be done. "As you wish, Papa."

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><p>"So," Val blinked in surprise, trying hard not to move or else they would yell at her again, "tell me again why I was kidnapped the moment I stepped into my room?"<p>

"We never kidnapped you!" Yukino rolled her eyes. "Stop giving people the wrong ideas."

"Haha!" Ayami laughed, reaching up to clip on a bracelet on Val's wrist. "That's a pretty funny thing to say to describe your situation." The older girl's wavy blonde hair was resting over her shoulders, and her brown eyes twinkled with amusement. Since Dino was coming to the meeting you, Satoshi and her had tagged along to visit.

"You guys threw a sack over my head the minute I entered the room, and despite my protests, carried me to another place without asking! If you haven't noticed, that's the basic definition of 'kidnapping'," Val pointed out.

"Well, we were told to make you look nice for the meeting," Sayuri smiled. "You can blame Uncle Reborn for that."

Shiori flipped through a fashion magazine. "Really. We all know you were going to sweep the floor with them anyway."

"Onee-chan, we made this for you!" Mana and Ai dropped a beautiful flower crown on top of their older sister's head, proud of their work.

"Aww, thank you," Val couldn't help but smile at her younger sisters.

"Mayu, can you pass me the brush?" Yukino asked, as she was the one working on Val's make-up.

Mayu handed her older sister what she needed quietly, and walked around Val. "I think there's still something missing…" She went over to the jewelry box, and took out a small pin in the shape of a heart. She pinned in on Val's white dress, on her chest. "There. Perfect."

After they finished, Val stood up. She smiled in delight as she looked at herself in the tall mirror in the room, and the girls were smiling as well at their hard work paying off. Valentine was in a flowing white dress decorated with white heart shaped charms. She had white sandals at her feet, a flower anklet around her right ankle. She wore matching white ring bracelets around her wrist, and she was wearing the flower crown on her head. Her light brown-orange hair was curled slightly at the ends.

"A masterpiece," Shiori smirked.

"Yep!" Yukino clapped her hands in delight at her childhood friend. "Now go already, or you'll be late!"

Val laughed. "I know, I know. Thanks, you guys."

Sayuri winked. "If you're ever in need of a makeover, just come to me."

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><p>With one last wave, Val exited the room. She walked up to her father's office, suddenly more confident than she was before. Her hands shook slightly, and she took a deep breath. Her hand rested on the door knob, pausing for a second, before she turned it.<p>

There, several people were sitting on the velvet long couches of the office, taking a sip of tea. If she hadn't felt the pressure of their presence, she would have thought they were nice people who just came for a small tea party. But of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

Val went over to her father's side, aware that every eye in the room was watching her. Oooh boy. She was getting nervous again. She stood next to her father, silent.

When Reborn gave her a nod, she spoke. She turned towards her audience, seeing as most of them had stood up by now. "Hello to you all," Valentine curtsy, going up after a moment. She placed her hands together in front as she kept a leveled expression.

Thank god Uncle Dino was there, smiling at her. She would have collapsed under a bundle of nerves by now. But she couldn't shame her Famiglia.

"My name is Valentine. It's a pleasure to meet you," she smiled softly, trying to will herself to get rid of the uneasiness in her stomach. It worked. Somewhat.

"Wow, she's so polite!" A white haired man with violet eyes and a purple tattoo under his left eye approached her. He was smiling cheerfully, his tone cheery.

"Byakuran," a dark-green haired woman wearing a white mushroom-like head dress and cape patted his arm, smiling softly. "We should introduce ourselves first."

"I know, Yuni," Byakuran said cheerfully. "We are the bosses of the Millefiore Famiglia. It's nice to meet you, _Princess~_!"

"There's no need to be nervous," Yuni smiled. "Just relax and you'll be fine."

Val smiled, relaxing under the cheerful nature of the man and the gentle nature of the woman. She could see why her father liked talking about them.

Byakuran gestured a boy from behind him. The boy was older than Val, maybe by a year or so, and he was tall. He had white hair, and dark green eyes that seem to look right into her soul. He had a small, orange tattoo under his eye that seemed to match his mother's. "This is our son, Hiro."

Hiro smiled slowly, and Val didn't know why, but she felt…_safe_ with his eyes on hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess." He took her hand in his, and raised it to his lips. Val flushed when he kissed the back of her hand.

She politely took her hand away when he was done, dropping into a slight curtsy. "A pleasure for me as well."

Val suddenly froze, sensing a hostile presence. She turned her head slightly to see Varia's boss, Uncle Xanxus, and a tall boy next to him. The boy had black hair, and sharp amber eyes. He looked as if he was older than her by a year or so. She watched as a slow smirk came to play on his lips, and she narrowed her eyes.

She shifted her attention away when she heard footsteps approaching her. A man was coming up to her, and his son was right behind him. "Hi there. I'm the boss of the Simon Famiglia; Kozato Enma. Wow, you look just like Tsuna-kun!" Enma smiled, and Val returned the smile.

"Papa has told me a lot of stories about the Simon Famiglia!" Val clapped her hands in delight. "It's a pleasure."

Enma nodded to the boy beside him. "This is my son, Kohaku." Val shifted her attention to the said boy. He had flaming red hair like his father, and seemed older than her by a year. But what captured her attention was his startling ruby-red eyes, which were staring into her honey-colored ones.

Kohaku bowed slightly, offering a small, yet playful smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

Val couldn't help but let out a small giggle at his playful nature. He gave her an amused grin, as if he had succeeded in his mission. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Somebody stop this cheesy love show," the boy who was beside Uncle Xanxus pretended to gag.

"Rei," Xanxus closed his eyes briefly.

Val turned to the said boy. "I'll like to inform you that we had only just met, so there is no need for such a display," she said smoothly, her voice calm. She gave him a sweet smile. "Are we clear?"

There was something in her voice that made Rei grunt in defeat, staying silent. Meanwhile, two certain people in the room were slightly amused by the display.

"Huh. I sometimes wonder how she's Sawada's daughter," Xanxus stated bluntly. "He would never have the guts to say that."

"That's true, isn't it?" Byakuran said cheerfully. "Tsunayoshi-kun was a complete scary-cat back then~!"

"Sawada-san was very brave at times too," Yuni smiled.

"That's my little brother for you!" Dino laughed.

"Tsuna-kun is a good friend too," Enma agreed.

"Don't praise him too much. Even now, it still might go to his head," Reborn smirked.

"Reborn!" Tsuna sighed, placing a hand on his head. He stood up from his desk. "I suppose that's it. Please, make yourself welcome during your stay here. And," he paused, and the bosses were already catching on, "…I'll make sure to keep you updated."

"We'll help you anytime, Tsuna-kun," Enma nodded, eyes serious.

Xanxus didn't say anything, but Tsuna knew he would help them too.

"Make sure you keep the kids safe, okay? And don't stress yourself out either, Tsuna," Dino smiled.

"We're all in an alliance so it's okay Tsunayoshi-kun~!" Byakuran was as cheerful as ever.

"Sawada-san," Yuni spoke up, her voice catching the attention of everybody in the world. Her eyes were slightly clouded, as if she was holding knowledge that they didn't know.

_"In the near future, many sacrifices are to be made."_

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><p><strong>And there you have it! We're going to do a vote, peoples! Who should Val end up with~? Review! ;)<strong>


	6. Treasure Hunt

**I'm going to update this chapter early 'cause I have HW to do this weekend! Man, teachers are tough on you. **

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Enjoy the chapter! :)**

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><p>Tsuna stopped cold. Yuni was famous for her predictions of the future, and even though her ability has weaken by now, she still senses things better than the average person. He needed to protect everybody. Tsuna faked a smile. "Alright. Thank you, Yuni."<p>

The shaman nodded briefly, and everybody exited aside from Tsuna, Reborn and Val.

Val stood still, frozen by what had happened. Of course, she knew Auntie Yuni was special the way the other guests in the room regarded her, but she was able to see such a thing into the future? Amazing. _And what did she mean by sacrifices? _

She turned to her father, and he looked as if he was deep in thought. "Papa…?"

Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts, turning to look at his daughter. "Ah, I'm sorry Val. I was just thinking about some things." He smiled at her softy. "How do you like the alliance Families?"

Val smiled, nodding. "They all seem quite nice. Well, except for maybe Rei."

"Dame-Princess is caught between three boys," Reborn smirked.

"WHAT?!" Tsuna's mouth dropped open as he shouted in surprise.

"Hmm, they are all good-looking," Val tapped a finger against her chin, as if she was giving the idea lots of thought.

"No, no, no." Tsuna looked pale. "D-Don't tell me you l-like one of them?"

"They're the sons of famous bosses in the Vongola Alliance," Reborn stated. "Feel free to choose any of them."

Val clapped her hands in delight. "Really, Uncle Reborn? I wonder which one is the best~?"

"NOOOO!" Tsuna panicked, shaking his head furiously. "Please don't think of this kind of thing!"

"But Papa," Val pouted cutely, "I'm a girl, you know? Mama says it was about the right time for me to fall in love~!"

"D-Don't you think this is all so sudden?" Tsuna tried desperately to reason with his daughter. He was a, ah, protective father, as many would say.

"In any case, which one appeals to you the most? As the next boss, you have to get a husband in the near future," Reborn ignored Tsuna, turning to Val.

"Hmm… Hiro is very mysterious and gentle. Kohaku is funny, and seems really fun to be with. Rei may be a jerk, but he has this cool side to him, you know?" Val told them, and as she did, Tsuna looked as if he was about to faint.

"Valentine, please reconsider!" Tsuna begged her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "This is too much for my heart!"

Val burst into laughter, no longer able to contain herself. "I'm kidding, Papa!"

"Don't scare me like that!" Tsuna let out a sigh of relief as he fell back against his chair. "Where did you even learn this from?"

"Uncle Reborn," Val stated automatically. Tsuna glared at his former tutor, who simply smirked.

"But it's true that she needs a husband," Reborn pointed out.

Before Tsuna could protest, Val spoke up. "Not to worry, Uncle Reborn. When the time is ripe, I will be the one to choose my own fate."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile proudly at his daughter. "That's right, Val." The said girl smiled at him sweetly, looking very much like her mother in her younger days.

Tsuna then regarded her seriously. "Val, has your training been any better?"

Val shifted on her feet. "I'm getting a bit better, but…" She trailed off on her sentence, casting her eyes down. "I'm sorry, Papa."

Tsuna smiled. "Don't worry about it. You'll catch up to me in no time." Val highly doubted she would be better than her father, but she nodded nevertheless.

"So we need to use that plan, huh?" Reborn said, looking over at Tsuna. The 10th Vongola Boss nodded, and Val just stared at them in confusion. Reborn turned to Val. "Well, since you're still weak, we need to have you be protected." Val took that statement as an insult.

"She'll need her own Guardians," Tsuna muttered under his breath, but Val heard him clearly.

"Wait, wait," Val blinked in surprise, looking at the two men in front of her. "I have Guardians too?"

"Of course you do, Dame-Princess," Reborn stated, nodding. "You are going to be the next boss."

"But who-?" Val started, but there was a sudden knock on the door. She watched in surprise as all of her father's Guardians entered the room, taking their place at their respectable spots on the long table. Well, after Ryohei hugged her tightly and Hibari glaring at Tsuna to hurry it up.

Tsuna nodded to each and every one of his Guardians, and stood up. "I've already informed you what this is about."

"Wait a second, Papa!" Val protested. "What do you mean by 'Guardians' of my own?"

"Ahaha! Don't worry, Val," Yamamoto grinned, laughing. "I think you'll get along with them just fine."

Gokudera turned to Val. "Do you still have your necklace with you?" Val quickly pulled it out, nodding. Gokudera nodded, upon seeing it. "Each one of your Guardians will have a necklace with crystalized Dying Will Flames like yours. That's how you will identify them."

"When you find them, their necklace will unleash its full power – a trait only your Family will have," Reborn informed her. "Dame-Princess, when you have assembled all of them, your own necklace will activate."

Val stared at the necklace in her hand. All these years, she had been told to keep it safe. It never occurred to her that it could be used as a weapon in battle – it never did anything while she was training. So this was the reason why.

A thought suddenly came to her. "Wait, so you – and they – won't tell me unless I find out myself?" Val's eyes grew wide.

"It'll be like a treasure hunt," Lambo suggested, grinning lazily. "You like games, don't you Princess?"

"Kufufu," Mukuro turned to look at Val. "It wouldn't be a good show if it wasn't amusing."

"But Uncle Mukuro!" Val started to protest. "What if they hide it or something? Then it wouldn't be fun at all!"

"Not to worry, my cute niece!" Ryohei gave her a thumbs-up, grinning widely. "They've been informed to the _EXTREME!"_

"So if you gain their favor, they'll tell you," Chrome smiled at the girl softly.

Val stared at all of them in shock, and she could tell none of them were going to change their minds. She couldn't believe her father had even agreed to this! Wait, no. It was probably Uncle Reborn who suggested this, and since it all seemed so amusing, they didn't refuse… Adults really like to tease kids… She let out a sigh, defeated. "So I just need to find six people, right?"

"Eight," Hibari spoke up, correcting her. "Two people somewhat share a title, and the other…" He looked towards Tsuna, as if he should reveal the information.

The 10th boss shook his head, and Val saw him. She felt the others looked tensed at the mention as well. What…?

The girl was confused. Eight people? Wasn't there only supposed to be six Guardians? Well, if two people share one title, then that eliminates one. But there was still one person left. That didn't make any sense. There were only six Guardian titles in the Vongola Famiglia…right? Perhaps she was missing a valuable piece of the puzzle…

"I know it's confusing and all, but try your best, okay?" Tsuna smiled at his daughter.

"Well, I'll try, Papa," Val nodded, slowly smiling at her father and Uncles. Of course, they weren't all her Uncles related by blood (well, Ryohei is her real Uncle), but they had always been around her ever since she was little. So she considered them her Uncles. They didn't mind, and she was happy that they didn't.

As Val left the room, she leaned her head against the door. She let out a small sigh.

_"Let the treasure hunt begin."_

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><p><strong>And there you have it! Sorry if it was short, but I had to do something. Review! :)<strong>


	7. Silent Storm

**Hiya peoples! Sorry I'm late in updating, school and other stuff going on. But I'm back with a new chapter now! **

**I do not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Enjoy the story~! :)**

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><p>"Oookay then," Val stood with her hands crossed over her chest, wandering around the hallways of the Vongola mansion. "How am I supposed to go at this?"<p>

After hearing her father and Uncles out, she still didn't know where she was supposed to start. Heck, she didn't even know what – or who – she was supposed to look for. Ah, this is really getting confusing and her head hurt so much.

Two synchronized laughs were heard behind her, and Val turned around to see the twins grinning at her. "What's with you and spacing out, Sleeping Beauty?"

Val flushed, her cheeks turning into a pink hue. "I was just thinking about stuff! Important stuff!"

"Yeah, right," Yukine scoffed. "Knowing you, you probably don't know what to do and completely missing the whole point."

"That's your mistake on your study sessions~!" Yukino sing song, smirking.

Val sighed, shifting her hat. "Well, I'm sorry for being an inconvenience. I was assigned a task, and I can't figure out how I'm going to do it." Val blinked, looking up to stare at the twins more. Wait, was it possible that they were Guardians? They did possess Storm flames, so maybe they were her Storm Guardian. But wait, there should be only one person who has that title…

Val stopped, suddenly remembering what she was told in her father's office. She was supposed to find eight people in total. Uncle Hibari had said two people share one title. Was it the twins?

Certainly, they were powerful. She had seen the results of their training countless times. The twins were known for their brains and skills in battle, and the fact that they are able to keep their cool in a fight was extraordinary.

"Val? Hey, Sleeping Beauty~!" Yukino waved a hand in front of the young 11th boss' face, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.

"Y-Yeah?" Val blinked, taking a step back. "What's up?"

"What's up is that you're spacing out too much," Yukine raised an eyebrow. "Keep it up and you'll die in battle in that kind of state."

"S-Sorry, I'll be more careful," Val rubbed her head sheepishly. When was she going to get stronger enough to not make them worry so much about her? The girl didn't realize she had sighed out loud at this.

The twins looked at each other, as if communicating through waves in their brains. Well, twins are said to usually think of the same thing. They nodded to each other, as if they had agreed with something.

"Val, why don't we play a game?" Yukino piped up, sounding cheerful.

Val looked at her in confusion. "What kind of game?"

Yukine pointed to the back of the mansion, where there was an endless amount of stable fields with the forest close by. "We've hidden two stone orbs in that area. You have to find them."

"Huh? But what does this have to do with anything?" Val was still confused, turning her head to look between the two of them.

"But," Yukino's smile seem to sadden, "it is your choice if you choose to bring back one orb, or both orbs. The time limit is sunset. Do your best, Val."

"Later, Sleeping Beauty," Yukine waved as he and Yukino walked away without another word of explanation to Val.

The light-brown haired girl could only stare after them, left in shock. What kind of game was this? Wait…was this a test? Auntie Chrome did say they would reveal who they are if they had deemed her worthy of the title.

Nevertheless, she had to do it. She pushed open the large doors, heading out into the sunlight. It was early noon right now, so that gave her a couple of hours to find the orbs. She had to return them to the twins before sunset.

_Let the game begin…_

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><p>Val grunted as she pushed away a branch in her path. The forest was unforgiving at times, and the many branches of the trees made it difficult to head straight. The sunlight was coming down in the places that weren't covered by the large leaves, and the shades were rather refreshing. Some forest animals walk along the pathway, and some of them stopped to stare at the girl who had entered their forest.<p>

Val wasn't sure why the animals had gathered around her, seeming to be quite pleased with her presence. The young girl smiled at them, holding out her hand. A little bunny jumped into her arms, and a beautiful deer nudged her. The animals surrounded her, some were curious, while others went closer.

At this point, Val was starting to think that the twins were right for calling her _'Sleeping Beauty'_. She remembered the fairy tale quite well. Having only books of fairy tales to read during her spare time when she was young, she loved each and every story. But her favorite one was the story of _'Sleeping Beauty'_. She admired the courage of the princess, and her kindness towards others. She would always imagined what it would be like to meet her own prince one day, but knew such a thing would never happen. After all, she could never be free.

The young 11th boss sighed, slowly shaking the thoughts out of her head. There was no need to think about such a thing; she was far too young for the concept of love – even if her name was _'Valentine'_.

Several deer came to block her pathway, and Val looked at them in confusion. They nudge their heads towards a certain direction, as if telling her to follow them. The girl nodded slowly, and began to follow the deer. The forest animals continued to follow her, but she didn't mind. In fact, she rather liked the company they provided.

So many creatures in a vast forest – it was truly an amazing thing. To be able to work side by side with one another, to survive in the arms of Mother Nature herself, animals were simply amazing.

On and on they led her, deeper into the forest. The greenery seem to be becoming more beautiful by the minute, and the sunlight was shining down even more. Finally, after brushing away a large leaf in the path, the young girl came upon a lake.

She gasped in delight, taking in her surroundings. The lake was clean and fresh, providing a perfect water source for the animals. There was a rushing waterfall, gushing down into the lake with its enormous strength. Lily pads and flower petals floated in the clear water, and the sunlight made sparkles on the lake's surface. Lush green trees surrounded the lake, and the grass was ever so green.

Val snapped out of her admiring when the deer nudged her arm. She turned to look at it, and it pointed its head towards the top of the cliff near the waterfall. The deer pushed her towards the area, and she walked towards it.

As soon as Val was on top of the cliff, she spread her arms out. The wind blew gently into her face, and the sun provided her warmth. The girl smiled peacefully as she closed her eyes, letting herself fall into the arms of Mother Nature.

When the girl opened her eyes, she winced when a sudden beam of light hit her eye. She inched closer to the cliff, determined to find out where the beam of light was coming from. She noticed round objects sitting in a velvet box at the edge of the cliff, bathing in the sunlight that shone upon them.

With a smile, she hurried towards the edge. There, she saw two stone orbs with markings on them. Val looked curiously at the markings, before she saw that the orbs had the twins' names written on them. Strange. Does this mean that the orb represented the twins?

There was a fluttering sound, and Val saw a little piece of paper taped on the side of the box. She carefully peeled it off, reading the contents.

_"Once one stone is lift, the other will drop. You are unable to lift both because they are stone."_

Val couldn't believe it. She re-read the note again and again. But the same words fired back at her. "W-Wait a minute…" Val's eyes widen, her hands starting to shake. "Are they telling me to pick o-one? So if I pick one of them, I betray and hurt the other?"

The girl's face paled as she dropped the note. Why? Why would they do such a thing? She didn't want anybody to get hurt. She couldn't choose one! How could she? They were both equally important to her, and she treasured them both dearly. The twins, despite their teasing, were always with her. She couldn't imagine losing one of them.

Val took a deep breath, coming to the conclusion of what her heart desired. Carefully, she reached out over the cliff to grab one of the orbs. She didn't know who it was, but that didn't matter. Her hand grasped the cold stone, and she lifted it slightly.

Immediately, the rock under the box crumbled. The box started to fall, and the other orb slipped out of the velvet.

Before she knew it, Val jumped off the cliff, grabbing the other orb. She held both orbs tightly against her chest as she fell down the cliff. The thorns of the plants tore at her flesh gleefully, and the rocks scraped her everywhere. She finally tumbled into the water, hitting the waterfall. The pressure of the water pushed her down, as if it was attempting to keep the beautiful young girl in its deep, deep waters forever.

Val desperately tried to escape the water's hold, kicking her legs to push away. Slowly, she managed to swim away from the center of the waterfall. She used all of her energy to swim to the shore, finally heaving herself to the side of the lake.

The girl collapsed, losing all of her energy. The last thing she saw was the animals surrounding her, looking down at the fallen girl.

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><p><em>"Hey, is she going to be alright?" <em>

_"Dammit, she didn't have to go that far." _

Val opened her eyes slowly, her vision still blurry from the sleep. She turned her head slightly to the side, where she saw two worried faces looking at her. Her arm twitched, feeling two stone orbs next to her.

Val sat up, ignoring the protests from her guests and the pain in her body. She was covered up in bandages, and she could smell the medicine that was applied to her wounds. She took the two orbs gently into her hands, showing them to the two she cared about. She smiled at them softly. "Here."

_"You… you IDIOT!_" Yukino hugged Val tightly, burying her face in the other girl's clothing as tears fell. "You could have died!"

"What did you think you were doing, stupid?!" Yukine shouted, but Val noticed that he was shaking. "Jumping off a cliff like that…. If we didn't come to find you, who knows what would have happened? You're lucky the forest animals protected you until we came."

"Oh, I should have thanked them," Val's voice was soft, and she smiled warmly at the twins. "It's alright. I'm fine now, so you don't have to worry."

She closed her eyes. "You know I wouldn't choose just one – it would be painful to do so. I treasure the two of you very much, and will never pick one over the other." She opened her eyes, and they soften. "Yukine. Yukino. Will you stay by my side?"

The twins could only stare at her in silence, and they looked at each other. Yukino straighten, standing up beside her brother. The twins bowed deeply, placing a hand over their heart. **_"As your Storm Guardians, we will protect you with our lives, Undicesimo." _**

Suddenly, the room lit with red lights. The lights surrounded the twins, illuminating the entire room. Small balls of light floated into the air, and Val watched in surprise as the lights took hold of the necklaces around the twins' neck. The necklaces were different from Val's – they were a silver chain necklace with a pendant filled with Storm Flames. The balls of light went into the pendants, and there was a sudden glow of power throughout the whole room.

Val blinked in surprise when her own necklace reacted. It glowed a warm orange, and that just made the pendants glow even brighter. There was a sudden flash of light, and they closed their eyes to keep from being blinded.

When they opened their eyes, they blinked in surprise. Val's mouth dropped open when she saw two tiger cubs in the laps of the twins. There were Storm flames coming out of their ears, and at the end of their tails was a small fireball. The tiger cubs had a luminous yellow coat, with small red stripes. They had ruby-red eyes, and looked like they were siblings. The two tiger cubs purred, and nuzzled into the twins' arms.

**"Well done,"** Reborn smirked as he walked into the room. Following him were Tsuna and Gokudera. "It seems you've managed to gain two of your Guardians, Val."

"Uncle Reborn! What – What happened?" Val was still in a state of shock as her hand grasp her necklace.

"When they accepted you, their necklaces and yours activated in response to one another," Tsuna explained. "Each and every one of your Guardians will be granted an animal partner, and a weapon. We'll explain more about them later on."

"Weapon..?" Val turned to stare at the twins. Just then, she felt her necklace glow again. The twins' necklaces glowed in response, and Storm Flames surrounded the twins.

After a moment, it died down to reveal a bow and arrow for Yukine, and a sniper rifle for Yukino. The bow and arrow was beautifully decorated, and Storm Flames danced along the weapon. The arrow was made purely of Dying Will flames, and the bow was the color of silver, with the Vongola's mark at the edge. The sniper rifle was long and elegant, displaying its power. The sleek silver metal glistened in the sunlight, and the crest of the Vongola was at its side.

"So? What are you going to name your animals?" Gokudera looked down at his twins, waving in their faces to snap them out of their shock. He smirked, seeming to be proud that his children were the first ones.

"Nao," Yukine decided, holding up his tiger cub.

"Then mine would be Mao," Yukino giggled as her tiger cub licked her face.

"Aww, they look like twins – just like you guys!" Val clapped her hands in delight, smiling brightly.

"Don't get too excited, Dame-Princess," Reborn smirked. "You still have to find the rest of the Guardians."

Val sighed, but smiled nevertheless. It couldn't be helped, right?

"Yes."

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><p><strong>Also, remember to vote for who Val should end up with and ask questions please! Review! ;)<strong>


	8. Pelting Rain

**Yay~! I'm back with a new chapter! Wow, I can't believe I'm continuously updating! It's weird 'cause I don't usually update weekly for a story. I'm changing! Which is still so weird... Anyways, enjoy the chapter peoples~! Ask questions and tell me who you want Val to end up with~! ;)**

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><p>"It's raining again," Val stared at the window, watching as giant pools of water dripped onto the land. It had been raining nonstop for several days now, and it didn't seem as if it was going to lift anytime soon.<p>

Val stopped, hearing footsteps behind her. She turned around to face a completely drenched Aoi. The girl's mouth dropped open, and the boy, blinking in surprise, slowly grinned.

"Hey Val!"

She punched his stomach, making him grunt in pain as he fell to his knees. She placed both hands on her hips, frowning down at him. "What do you think you're doing, Aoi? It's pouring rain out there, and if you keep this up, you'll catch a cold!"

Aoi laughed, wincing as he held his stomach. "Sorry, sorry. We had baseball practice so…"

Val sighed, placing a hand to her forehead. "I don't want you to get sick. Just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah," Aoi nodded, standing up and grabbing his fallen things. He swung them over his shoulder. He gave her a grin. "I'll see you later."

Val could only nod as he walked away, leaving a trail of fallen drops on the carpet floor. She sighed. He was too reckless sometimes.

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><p>"Eh?! Aoi is sick?!"<p>

Val dropped her crepe on her plate, staring at the twins in disbelief. Early that morning, the Gokudera twins had come into the suite where the Sawada family lived, disrupting the family's breakfast.

Ai looked worried. "Is Aoi-nii going to be okay?"

Mana nodded, smiling at her twin sister. "Sure he will, Ai!"

"Still, for Aoi to be sick is quite unusual," Tsuna said. As far as he knew, the boy was extremely healthy and rarely came down with a fever. Just like his father.

Val sighed, rubbing her temples. She had told that idiot to be careful not to disrupt his heath. Did he listen? Of course not. They never seem to listen to her. It's quite sad, really.

The said girl stood up from her seat at the table, crepe in hand. "Can I be excused?"

Tsuna nodded. "I'll tell the others to cancel your training today."

"Make sure you don't fall behind on your studies, though," Kyoko reminded her eldest daughter, smiling as she took the plate away.

Val nodded curtly, before she dashed out of the door with the Gokudera twins on her trail. They arrived at the suite where the Yamamoto family lived, knocking on the door and waiting patiently for them to answer.

Moments later, the door opened. The 10th Rain Guardian of the Vongola family appeared before them. He smiled when he saw them. "Hey you guys. Are you here to see Aoi?"

They nodded, and he let them in. The group walked through the hallways, taking in the pictures of water and rainfall. It was to be expected after all. This was the house of the Rain Guardian.

They came upon the door to Aoi's bedroom, and Yamamoto opened it. Going in, they could see Aoi sitting upright in bed, with his mother fussing over him and his little brother, Kazuto, reading a book while sitting on Aoi's bed.

All of them looked up at the newly arrived visitors. Aoi grinned upon seeing his childhood friends. "Hey guys! You've come to visit?"

Yukine scowled at him. "Why are you still easy-going, Baseball Idiot?"

Aoi laughed. "I guess I should have been more careful."

"Darn right you should," Yukine muttered under his breath.

Claire stood up, smiling at all of them. "Thank you for coming. This boy has been reckless lately." She sighed when her eldest son grinned at her. "Anyway, make yourself comfortable here while you're at it."

"Mommy, can we have your special strawberry shortcake?" Kazuto piped up, looking eager.

"Hey, no fair! I want some too!" Aoi complained.

Claire laughed. "Don't get yourself so worked up. You're still sick, Aoi so you can't eat any yet."

Aoi sighed, but then he shrugged. It couldn't be helped.

The woman turned to the other teens in the room. "I'm assuming you all want some too?"

"Yes please!" The three chirped cheerfully. Claire's strawberry shortcakes were the best in the Vongola Famiglia.

"Alright, then I shall get to it." Claire smiled warmly at them.

Yamamoto smiled at all of them. "Well, we'll leave you to your visitors." He gestured for his wife and his youngest son to exit the room. They left the room moments later, leaving the childhood friends in the bedroom.

Val made her way over to Aoi's bedside, her bangs covering her face. The said boy sweat-dropped at upon seeing her dark aura. "H-Haha…"

She smacked his head, making him fall back on his head. "YOU IDIOT."

"Oi, isn't that too harsh?" The twins sweat-dropped. "He_ is_ sick, after all."

"I told you to be careful!" Val scolded the black-haired boy, placing her hand on his forehead. She frowned at the warmness of it, guessing it must have been a high fever to get Aoi of all people to stay in bed like this.

"Sorry, sorry," Aoi tried to grin, wincing at the pain as he rubbed his head. "We have a game soon, so I wanted to practice as much as I could."

Val sighed. It couldn't be helped. Aoi loved baseball as much as his younger brother and father did. Really now. One shouldn't put such things over their health. But she could understand where he was coming from.

"So? When is the game?" Yukino asked, sitting on the bed.

Aoi paused, before he forced a grin, "Today."

They stopped, looking at him. The black-haired boy rubbed his head sheepishly. "I guess I was trying too hard for the game, and now I couldn't even get to go." He looked down at the bed sheets, his fists tightening. "Everybody was counting on me to play today, and now I've let them down."

Val had never seen Aoi look as he did now. The said boy had now thrown his covers over himself, lying in bed. She could always count on him to laugh, and to tell her that everything was okay. Now… she couldn't even bare it to look at his sadden state.

In her mind, the girl made a silent promise. She stood up from her positon on the bed, smiling down at Aoi. Though, he couldn't see her since the sheets were over him. "Neh, Aoi. I'll do something, so get well, alright?"

Val could only smile when a muffled voice was heard from the sheets. She talked quietly to the twins, and they seemed to agree on her idea after arguing a bit and laughing.

The young Vongola boss exited the room, after looking back at Aoi. She closed the door behind her, looking up into the ceiling. Now then. How to get her plan into action?

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><p>Val peeked behind the fence to the baseball field. Already, there were people going into the benches to watch the game. The two opposing teams were at their places, going over game play with the coach. She bit her lip when she saw Aoi's team looking worried, as if something was troubling them.<p>

Pulling the cap over her eyes, she hurried towards the team. She ran up to the coach, who was running a hand through his hair. She tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to face her. "What do you want?"

Val cleared her throat, making it deeper to match her disguise. "Um, are you missing a player?"

The coach stared at her. "Our star player isn't showing up and the game is about to start."

"I heard he got sick and couldn't make it," Val said.

"Sick?!" The coach threw his hands into the air. "We might as well quit then! Our opponents are powerful, and Aoi was our best chance at winning."

"No way! Aoi-senpai isn't going to come?!" The underclassmen of the team ran up to them, looking distraught.

"How about I play in his place?" Val offered. "I'm a part of the school, after all."

The coach narrowed his eyes. "How can we just take a volunteer like that? Are you even good at baseball?"

"I'm not a star player, but I can play well enough to get a few homeruns," Val stated bluntly, meeting the coach's eyes.

It was true. Aoi had taught her everything he knew about baseball since they were kids; all of them would often play a game together. It was one of the things they usually did together since their childhood.

The coach rubbed his forehead, as if thinking hard about something. Finally, he nodded. "Fine, you're in. Don't make me regret this."

Val grinned, nodding. She quickly got the uniform and materials from the team, going into a room to change. When she came out, the game was about to start. She hurried back to the team, understanding the concept of the plays they were going to do.

The game finally started, and Val could only hope the twins were doing what they were supposed to do as the first batter stepped up to play.

* * *

><p>The twins were busy setting up a screen in Aoi's bedroom, hooking it to the live camera that was set up with Val.<p>

The black-haired boy underneath the covers couldn't take the noise anymore as he threw the covers off his head. He looked annoyed, and wanted to say something before he saw the blinking screen.

His mouth dropped open when he saw what was in front of him. There, in the screen, was the baseball game he couldn't go to. He wasn't sure at first, but the batter standing at the plate looked like…Val?

Aoi rubbed his eyes, staring at the person more closely. There was no doubt about it that was Val. She was wearing his team's uniform, and she had made herself look like a boy. Which was easy enough with her short hair, and the fact that her attitude could fool the coach easily. Not like the coach was smart anyway.

"What is she doing?" Aoi asked, turning his eyes away from the screen to look at the twins.

Yukine shrugged, leaning against the wall. "She said that since you couldn't play, she'll play in your place instead."

"B-But that's stupid! She doesn't have to go that far!" Aoi sputtered, still in a state of shock at the display he was currently watching. He knew his childhood friend was reckless, but he didn't expect her to be this reckless.

Then again, this was Val they were talking about. As far as all of them could remember, she was always reckless. Even in her doll-like state, Val was reckless to the core. They sometimes wondered how she came to be that way, since none of her parents seem to be reckless people.

"What did you expect? She is stupid," Yukino muttered, shaking her head. "That's why we follow her."

Aoi watched as Val hit a blunt ball, dashing to the next plate. "Still. What makes her think she has a chance against those strong opponents?"

"She doesn't," Yukine stated flatly. "But she's trying for your sake. She's doing what she can for you."

"I know. I know that…" Aoi buried his head in his blankets, flopping down on his bed. He covered his eyes with his hand, taking a deep breath. _"Why is she always like this…?"_

"That's who she is," Yukino smiled softly. "You know that. We're here today because she saved us all. Though I've got to admit, I hate that caring personality of hers sometimes. She's the kind of person who will always take in people who are alone and take care of them, regardless of what they did."

"I feel like that part of her will take her away from us one day." Yukine's words hung in the air, placing a threat in their hearts.

Of course they knew it could happen. What if the person she takes in betrays her and leaves the girl broken forever? What if they hurt her in a way she couldn't return to normal? What if they _killed_ her…?

The very thought haunted their minds, and they, like the rest of the group, could never imagined a life without Val. She was the one who had brought all of them together, despite their countless arguments, and despite her doll-like state. Without her, their lives would be a dark grey, innocent from the reality of the world.

Their thoughts were soon broken when there were shouts from the screen in front of Aoi. The twins quickly came to see what was going on, and the three sat on the bed, at the edge of their seats as they watched the game.

Somebody had just scored a homerun, and were now running across the bases. Within moments, they could see that that person was none other than Val. She dashed from base to base, desperately trying to get to home before the ball makes it back.

The opposing team were already running back with the ball, and Val was heading for home when the ball was thrown. They watched as their childhood friend slid into home base, just a split second before the catcher caught the ball.

She was safe!

The three fell back on the bed, letting out a breath of relief they did not realize they had been holding this whole time.

"Yep, she really is reckless," Yukine muttered under his breath, shaking his head at his boss.

Yukino sighed, placing a hand against her cheek. "I really wish she would realize that she is a girl."

"Oh, I think she knows," Yukine grinned. "She just doesn't care."

For the first time today, Aoi burst out laughing. The twins looked at him in surprise, before they grinned at each other and laughed too.

_Really. Their boss sure was something. _

* * *

><p>Val couldn't believe it. They had won the game. They had actually won. At first, she couldn't believe what she was seeing when the announcer said that the game was over, and she had looked over at the scoreboard. Amazingly, they had won against their strong opponents.<p>

The whole team ran to her, putting her up into the air. Val, who was still shock from it all, could barely say or do anything as the team crowed around her. The coach seemed to be crying happy tears, and the underclassmen was looking at her in respect. They were cheering loudly, and the bystanders were clapping.

Her honey colored eyes wander to the side of the field, where a couple of new people had just came to see the game. Her mouth fell open when she saw Yukine and Tatsuya helped Aoi walk towards the place, with the others with them.

She immediately broke away from the cheering team to rush to her Famiglia, still in shock when she reached them. She went to Aoi's side, looking worried. "What are you doing out here? You should be resting!"

Aoi let out a laugh, though he coughed for a bit moments later. That just increased Val's worry level. "I'm sorry, but I just had to come see you." He grinned up at the girl. "The game was great."

Val could only sigh, but she smiled softly at him. "It could have been better with you on the team, though. The game ended with a pretty close score, you know?"

Yukine knocked her head lightly with his fist. "Yeah, but you were the one who score those home runs." He smirked. "I sort of want to see their reactions when they realize they had been beaten by a girl."

His twin sister smacked his arm. "Girls can play just as good as boys can."

Sayuri nodded in agreement. "We're strong to the EXTREME too!"

"Alright, alright," Yukine rolled his eyes, "I never said you were weak."

"You implied it," Shiori pointed out. "That's enough."

"See, the reason we don't say that is because all of you are too demanding," Tatsuya grunted.

"Thank you," Shiori smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as her older brother glared at her in annoyance. The other girls, minus Val, seemed quite proud of that.

"Anyway," Aoi turned to Val once more, his trademark grin on his face, "thanks for playing for me. You know you didn't have to do that."

Val shook her head, smiling at him warmly. "Of course I did. You are important to me, and I couldn't let the game you staked your health on go to waste. Besides," the girl grinned playfully, "it was really fun beating those guys!"

"Were they cocky bastards?" Yukine raised an eyebrow, looking amused. By now, the baseball folks had already left and it was just the Vongola kids left.

Val nodded, giggling softly. "Yep! You should have seen their faces!"

"Figures," Sayuri could only shake her head and smile. She turned to Aoi. "Come on, let's get you home before you collapse."

"Wait…" Aoi reached under his shirt, pulling out an amulet with brightly lit Rain flames dancing inside of the space. He grinned when he saw Val's look of surprise. "I can't bow down, so I'll just say it plainly. Val, will you let me protect you and stay by your side?"

The said girl blinked, before she slowly nodded. A wide smile burst on her face, "Of course!"

Immediately, small, blue lights began to flicker around Aoi. They watched as the light surrounded him, taking on a more materialized form. Within moments, they soon discovered a sleek, silver wolf beside Aoi wearing some gear with the Vongola crest on it. Amazingly, Aoi's sword, the Shigure Kintoki which he had inherited from his father, was floating in the air in front of them. Best thing was, it had been upgraded.

Aoi grasped the sword's handle, in awe of the power he had felt from the sword. It was different, yet it still remained the sword he had been training with most of his life. A grin broke into his face as the wolf with Rain flames coming out of its ear nudged him.

"So that's Aoi's animal and weapon?" Val blinked in surprise, and it took the others a while to figure out what's going on.

"Ooh! Its fur is so pretty!" Sayuri knelt down to pet the animal, and giggled when it licked her hand.

"What are you going to name it?" Yukino asked, curious.

"Hmm, I don't know," Aoi mused.

"How about Akira?" Shiori suggested. "It fits the animal of the 11th Rain Guardian."

Aoi grinned. "Akira. I like that." He turned to his wolf, its dark blue eyes looking back at him. "So how do you like the name?"

Akira seemed to like the name well enough as he snuggled against Aoi. The black-haired boy laughed in delight, and the others smiled at the scene.

"I'm glad you like it. From here on, your name is Akira!" Aoi announced.

"Well, I guess if the wolf likes it." The twins shrugged.

"I'm glad…" Aoi's eyes fell heavy, and before any of them knew it, Aoi collapsed onto the ground.

"Aoi!" Val rushed to his side, and Akira whimpered at upon seeing its master's fallen body.

Tatsuya lifted the fallen boy on his shoulders, grunting at the weight. "Come on. We have to get him back before his mother yells at us all."

They nodded, agreeing with the plan. Val sighed. Who was the reckless one now?

_Now, she just needed to find five more people…_

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it~! Remember, questions and Val's future lover~! Unless you also want another couple too.. Oh, warning! Next chapter is a D. A. T. E. Date~! Review! :)<strong>


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